Crapola

I had cabs several lifetimes back & also developed industry specific software, consequently I have a good working knowledge of the financial issues. Whilst drivers do indeed get the occasional cash / off the meter job, these barely cover the runners. Nobody can dispute the criminally inadequate working conditions afforded to drivers or the urgent necessity to restore some semblance of value to the poor mugs who work in the business. Its is indeed unfortunate that small investors are hurt, but by the same token, there isn't a penalty sufficiently onerous for the slimeball cab companies which have systematically fleeced anyone & everyone since the dawn of time. If you have any awareness of the Queensland cab business, you'll be fully aware of one operation that should rightfully have been closed down before it started. Nobody will shed a tear when that happens, even people who stand to lose hundreds of thousands they invested in licences will be dancing on a certain grave. Victoria may be a different scene however I doubt there is much difference.

Sorry Crapola, my argument is not “mute and negated” at all. The Directorate takes into account the cost of providing a taxi service when setting fares, and this includes the cost of a licence. The fact that this is incorporated into the fare structure not applied as some type of surcharge does not mean that the passenger does not pay

Don't know what happened in Qld but in Victoria it is a whole different ball game. As you state you were involved many lifetimes ago, we have been involved for 20 years in Victoria and yes, 30% of their fares are not placed on the meter, evidenced by the kms on each cab, I am savvy enough to know you can't do 300km and bring home X amount of dollars. If you feel that people losing hundreds of thousands of dollars from their investment, I would ask how much you profited from your license plates, and would you have been happy to lose your life's savings and income. I am more aware than you think my friend as I work in State Govt and deal with Ministers on a daily basis, and I run a business, but this apparently doesn't make me an authority on where to place my money as you have a better understanding of why I should LOSE my investment. I sincerely hope none of you are placed in a position where 30 years of work is lost at the whim of an ill informed tool like Fels.

Crapola

I couldn't imagine any driver in Queensland getting away with 300k off the system on a shift even with the previous radio / computer system because the companies had spies out everywhere to ensure 'good' jobs go to their own cars. For example, the Brisbane International Airport yielded plenty of $200 Gold Coast jobs & the companies were fully aware of that so they stationed a spy there to catch anyone off the system. Once online, privateers allocated a $5 fare to Toombul or Nundah leaving the $200 jobs to company cars. Apparently there has been a new radio / computer system in the past few years that can't be inactivated, consequently privateers can't bypass the system at all and can only get the dregs.

The issue with ridiculously high licence prices appears to be endemic to all states however & its the main reason driver income is totally unacceptable. Without the ability to do cash jobs, we get back to the issue of $10 per hour gross at best. I notice submissions to the Victorian inquiry claiming drivers there are getting as little as $5 per hour gross. Nobody is saying the drop in licence values was going to benefit everyone, but surely something needed to be done when the drivers have been enduring conditions typical of slaves ?? For what its worth, I didn't make any profit from licences. Few privateers do, thats something the two companies have had a stranglehold on since forever.

Could this be sour grapes at all.
Why is it inconceivable for me to make money off my investment, is this not why I invested in the first place.
Qld is a whole different ball game and before you make statements I strongly suggest you check the facts, as this DOES NOT happen in Victoria, even for me who has a 30 year friendship with a couple of companies dating back to our school days, we do not get preferential treatment in any shape or form. I am actually wasting my nails and energy on people who think they are an authority on something they know nothing about. I am very concerned that we now live in a society where govt can step in and not allow me to increase my wealth based on my own hard work....pathetic pathetic we have become a communist country where everyone should be equal in terms of wealth, but some of us work hard and others live off welfare. Too bad for the young in our society as there is no incentive to work and build wealth and when we are all on welfare who will pay taxes to keep these layabouts in welfare. Rant over and I'm out.

Crapola
No one begrudges you money from making a productive investment, or working hard. But a taxi licence is not a productive investment. It’s a dead weight loss that ultimately has to be carried by passengers. It can only hold its value by government restricting the number of taxis on the road, thereby ensuring that passengers get poorer service than they otherwise would. Any extra profit the industry might generate gets soaked up in higher licence costs, so the drivers struggle to make a crust. Unless there is an efficient system of peak hour licenses, passengers are left waiting for cabs or simply unable to get them. It’s a dumb system that should never have been introduced. I’m sorry that you will lose money under the proposed changes, but the reforms are in the community interest